1. Lesson 10: IT Project and Program Management

2. Lesson 10 Objectives Identify resources for technical data
Identify project management fundamentals
Identify project management skills
Identify the five project management phases
Define the project triangle
Identify the value of project management software
Create a project schedule
Identify the value of documenting projects
Identify the value of planning and scheduling meetings
Identify the business uses of Web browsers
Identify the value of reviewing projects
Identify quality assurance techniques
Identify the business implications of IT decisions
Identify project management certifications and resources
Identify program management concepts

3. Resources for Technical Data
The following Web sites are among the many you can visit for technical data:

4. Project Management Fundamentals
Project management – applying knowledge, skills and processes to specific activities in order to meet deadlines and achieve desired results
Project – a sequence of tasks that must be accomplished within a certain time frame to achieve a desired result
Task – a unit of work during a project
Resource – a person, department or device needed to accomplish a task
Assignment – the appointment of a specific resource to a specific task

5. Scope and Scope Creep
Scope – the goals and tasks of a project, and the work required to complete them
Scope creep – gradual increases in project scope that occur in small increments over time
A common problem in most projects because not all factors can be accounted for at the beginning of a project

6. Project Management Skills
Planning skills
Identify project stakeholders
Acquire the right staff for the project
Develop and manage project teams
Organizational skills
Communication skills
Problem-solving skills
Leadership skills
Understand the needs/characteristics of the group
Control group performance
Set a good example
Provide counseling
Teach effectively

7. Project Management Phases
Initiating phase
Conduct needs analysis
Determine objectives, assumptions and constraints
Create Statement Of Work (SOW)
Planning phase
Develop project schedule
Assemble project team

8. Project Management Phases (cont’d)
Executing phase
Perform project tasks
Controlling phase (concurrent with executing phase)
Monitor progress and take corrective action as needed
Closing phase
Evaluate schedule, budget, scope, resources and assignments
Formal acceptance of project deliverable

9. Conflicts of Interest
During the controlling phase, conflicts of interest may occur when the project team consists of cross-departmental members whose reporting structures differ

10. The Project Triangle Factors that affect every project: Time Money
Scope
You must determine how adjusting one factor will affect the other two, and how quality will be affected overall

11. Project Management Software
Project schedules are stored in databases
Schedule information includes:
A project start date
A project calendar
Tasks and task durations
Project resources and their costs
Use software to:
Track project progress and status
Save plans of successful projects

12. Creating Project Schedules
Gantt chart – a horizontal bar chart that graphically displays project tasks and durations
Tasks pane
Gantt chart

13. Documenting Projects Paper trail
Documents which team members worked on what task, and when they started and completed them
Issues log
Documents and monitors problems that need to be escalated to managers or executives outside the project team for resolution

14. Planning and Scheduling Meetings
During the executing and controlling phases:
Schedule meetings with team members to monitor progress
Schedule meetings with stakeholders and management around milestones to review project status
Avoid scope creep by managing requests and changes at regular intervals

15. Browsers in the Business World
Intranet – an internal or in-house Web site used only by employees within a company
Extranet – an internal network designed to provide access to selected external users; is not available to the Internet public
Webinars and Web conferences – online training or conference sessions that utilize Internet technology to provide interactive and presentation elements to users
Webcasts – audio/video Web events that are distributed over the Internet
Voice conferencing – the traditional way to connect groups and individuals via telephone conference calls

16. Reviewing Projects During the closing phase: Test the product
Client evaluates and accepts/rejects project deliverable
Evaluate performances
Review performances of team members
Document lessons learned
Review what went well, what did not, and what could be done differently to improve team performance

17. Quality Assurance Three techniques to ensure quality:
Separation of duties – project teamwork in which team members review the work of another team member and vice versa
ISO 9000 standards – international benchmark for systemizing processes to help organizations produce products and services that meet government regulations and the quality standards set by customers
Six Sigma methodology – seeks to identify and eliminate the causes of defects and errors in manufacturing and business processes in an effort to reach near-perfection

18. Business Implications of IT Projects
Organizational rules and policies – IT projects are bound by the rules and policies that govern the organization
IT professionals have the right to:
Acquire the necessary tools to accomplish their tasks
Receive clear, detailed objectives and instructions so they can produce the proper deliverables
IT professionals have the responsibility to:
Provide services in a timely, cost-effective, secure manner
Keep workflow interruptions and system downtime to a minimum

19. Business Implications of IT Projects (cont’d)
Effects of IT projects on productivity
IT projects and decisions impact employee productivity because they affect systems that employees use to do their jobs
IT project Return On Investment (ROI)
IT project managers must determine the risk and value of each project to justify which projects to preserve and which projects to eliminate

20. Project Management Institute (PMI)
Non-profit member organization that publishes standards and offers education regarding the project management profession
Project Management Professional (PMP) – certification for project managers
Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) – nine topic areas that define project management

21. PMBOK Project integration management Project scope management
Project time management
Project cost management
Project quality management
Project human resource management
Project communication management
Project risk management
Project procurement management

22. Program Management Concepts
Program management – the process of managing multiple interdependent projects to improve the performance of an organization
Program management consists of:
Benefits management
Stakeholder management
Program governance
Program management life cycle – five phases that define the activities and events that occur from the beginning of a program through to its conclusion

23. Lesson 10 Summary Identify resources for technical data
Identify project management fundamentals
Identify project management skills
Identify the five project management phases
Define the project triangle
Identify the value of project management software
Create a project schedule
Identify the value of documenting projects
Identify the value of planning and scheduling meetings
Identify the business uses of Web browsers
Identify the value of reviewing projects
Identify quality assurance techniques
Identify the business implications of IT decisions
Identify project management certifications and resources
Identify program management concepts

24. Internet Business Associate v2.0
Introduction to IT Business and Careers
Internet Communication
Introduction to Internet Technology
Web Browsing
Multimedia on the Web
Databases and Web Search Engines
Business and Personal Information Management
Protecting Yourself Online
Internet Services and Tools for Business
IT Project and Program Management